The National Health Interview survey found that disabilities for people between the ages of 50 and 64 are on the rise, a statistic that contrasts with a decline in disabilities for people aged 65 and over. The age group in trouble is the one that was born between 1945 and 1960 which corresponds to the Pluto in Leo generation. (You can read more about that generation, also called “baby boomers,” here.
While the total number of adults reporting physical problems in this age group did not change significantly over the study period, there was a significant uptick in people reporting difficulties with specific mobility related functions, including walking a quarter-mile and climbing 10 steps.
There was also an increase in the number of people using special equipment to get around, such as a cane or wheelchair. In addition, more people reported needing help with daily personal care activities, such as getting out of bed and moving around the home.
Specifically, the problems reported by boomers include back or neck problems, diabetes and depression, anxiety or emotional problems. The Pluto in Leo generation is driven by ego concerns – Leo is the sign of the Self and the Ego, and Pluto brings a compulsive quality to the sign that has driven this generation to seek glorification in many ways. This was the first generation to embrace exercise for its own sake and in order to stave off the signs of aging, and overexercise is a major cause of mobility distress.
This intense focus on the Self and the ego that Pluto in Leo demands can easily result in emotional issues – it will be interesting to see if this tendency towards depression and anxiety continues into the Pluto in Virgo generation which is more focused on service and improving the world they live in.
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